


Walking on two legs is hard, okay?

by Sternenstaub



Series: I kid you not... [3]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Kid Fic, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, learning to walk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28799517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: Lilly learns to walk. And also that legs are very good to steady yourself when you hug them.
Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: I kid you not... [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051271
Comments: 17
Kudos: 124





	Walking on two legs is hard, okay?

**Author's Note:**

> written for the sugar prompt bingo prompt „hugs“
> 
> also written when I should have done many other things but sometimes we just need 1k of a baby achieving something to be proud of.

It had been a week since Vesemir had arrived. And what a week it had been. Jaskier had barely had enough time to talk to the old witcher, Eskel was running on maybe three hours of sleep and Vesemir was grinning like a Cheshire Cat whenever he saw how thankful they both were to get even one hour off from babysitting. Because Lilly had taken their all that week. 

Lilly had learned to walk on her two stubby legs. 

It had happened two days after Vesemir had arrived and one day after she had started grabbing for his old grey hair and babbling at him excitedly. It went like this:

Lilly had sat in front of a fire in their small room, Jaskier next to her playing a tune on his lute without words. Eskel had been sitting on a chair, watching them with a soft smile that was mostly still reserved to their personal room and knitting a hat for Lilly; it was cold in the mountains and their girl had been human more often than not lately. They both assumed it was because a goat could not try to talk. She was still only sayin „bahbah“ most of the time but the way she said it changed with time to get meaning. „Bah!“ meant there was something interesting while „bahbaaah“ meant she wanted something she couldn’t reach.

Lilly had stared at the yarn in Eskel´s basket, how it moved whenever he started a new row and crawled over. Eskel put the basket on a table, not wanting Lilly to get tangled up. „bahbaaah“ she complained, trying to grab the yarn. Eskel gave her a small pat and told her to play with something different please. She had pouted with another „bah“ and pulled herself up, tiny hands grabbing the armrest until she was standing. This had been nothing new as well, Lilly could stand for a few weeks already and tried to do it often. 

But this time she seemed more determined. Jaskier looked up from his lute and met Eskel´s eyes. They both watched the toddler staring at the basket full of yarn just a few steps away. She looked at the armrest she was holding onto and at the table and after a moment she let go.   
Eskel instantly let go of his knitting, hands ready to catch her once she fell over. This was also a common occurrence. She would fall over, look at her legs like they had betrayed her and would change into a goat to get wherever she wanted to go.

With no armrest to hold her steady, Lilly made her first step. It was wobbly, Jaskier´s breath hitched, surely she`d fall over any moment. But no, she did another step, beaming at the table and the ground, and another one, slightly less wobbly until she could catch the leg of the table. With some more effort, and a very proud Eskel gently shoving the basket towards her, she grabbed the skein of yarn she desired and happily flopped back on her butt, hands buried in wool. Eskel looked at her and then at Jaskier, both lost for words but eyes shining with emotion. Their baby was growing up.

Jaskier didn't know if he was supposed to make a big deal out of this for her, it was a big deal for him but he didn't want to startle the girl. He looked at Eskel for guidance, who seemed similarly lost in thought, watching Lilly make knots in his yarn and putting it in her mouth, not stopping her. The soft expression on his witcher´s face made Jaskier´s stomach do a flip and he walked over to give Eskel a small kiss on the temple.  
Eskel wrapped his arms around Jaskier´s hips when Jaskier turned around again and pulled him on his lap instead, hugging him tightly. Jaskier hugged back, „She walked, we saw her literal first steps.“ he whispered into Eskel´s ear in awe. His witcher nodded and swallowed once before he answered, „We did.“ His voice sounded rough with emotion.

They sat like that for a moment until Lilly got fully tangled in the yarn and had to be rescued.  
And that had been it. The next day Lilly tried to walk at every possible and impossible moment. To the dismay of Eskel who was now herding a toddler hellbent on walking, not caring if there were stairs right behind her or a spiky fence. The keep had never seemed so dangerous as it did since that moment. Jaskier made sure no knives were left lying around and all doors to the dangerous parts of the keep were firmly closed. Meanwhile Eskel fretted like a mother hen over Lilly, trying to wrap her up in extra layers so she wouldn’t hurt herself when she would involuntarily fall down. As a goat she had had a modicum of balance and no hands to grab or open things. As a toddler with two hands and two feet she was unstoppable. 

Lilly didn't turn into a goat for several days and at the end of it she had walking for a few steps down fairly well. After dinner she`d toddle between Jaskier and Eskel.   
The day she walked over to Vesemir and demanded to be picked up to play with his hair Jaskier was sure the old witcher had tears in his eyes.

Maybe the best part were the hugs though. It had taken Lilly less than a day to learn that whenever she felt wobbly, she just had to stay close to a bigger human and grab on his legs. She`d hug a leg whenever it was close, sometimes pulling the leg, no matter who it belonged to, so it`d help her get to the destination she wanted to reach. If the person was sitting, she`d wobble over and hug your knees, beam up at you with a grabby hand gesture and demand to be picked up. For some reason the newfound freedom of walking and having hands had made her also more affectionate.

A few times she had done that with the horses as well. Had walked up to them in the stable and waited for one to sniff at her and, if she did not fall down squealing from the tickling horse breath, she`d hug their noses tightly. Jaskier was thankful the two horses in the stable were well behaved and didn`t startle easily or Lilly could have gotten seriously hurt. The picture it made had been the most adorable one the bard had ever seen though. A very confused horse held captive by a very determined toddler.  
Since that day Eskel had locked the stable and paddock extra tightly as well. Jaskier wondered how long it’d take Lilly to realize that she could climb over the gate as a goat and turn back to touch the horses. He hoped it’d take a few more weeks, he was exhausted.

So that’s where they were, a tired witcher, a tired bard, a very happy toddler and a smug older witcher who was happy he wasn’t the one to herd Lilly all day.

Every night Eskel and Jaskier fell asleep without trouble, Lilly nestled between them or cradled into Eskel´s arms.  
That morning Jaskier woke up nestled to Eskel´s back who was in turn hugging Lilly close, the day looked sunny and warm for autumn in the mountains. It was rare that Jaskier stirred as the first one and he enjoyed the moment for himself, to feel the strong muscled back under his cheek, the even breaths and the sturdy warmth under his arm that was wrapped around Eskel. He could feel his witcher relax when he kissed him between the shoulderblades lightly.   
„Morning, love.“ a deep voice rasped, rough from sleep and sounding like a comfortable kitten.  
Jaskier`s chest was full with emotions he`d never known he wanted, „Good morning, my loves.“ he whispered, huggin Eskel closer from behind, trying not to jostle Lilly from her sleep. He hoped his life would always stay like this.


End file.
